Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and computer program

ABSTRACT

Each program content has a plurality of program states, such as “already recorded”, “not recorded”, “preset for recording”, “not preset for recording”, and “not received” states”. In response to the selection of a related program on a starting-program-related information page, a detailed operation screen for the related program is presented. When the program state of the related program is “already recorded”, reproduction or erasure of the recording is presented on the detailed operation screen as a method of operation. When the program is not preset for recording yet, presetting for recording is presented on the detailed operation screen as a method of operation. Information related to a program that is being watched and listened to can be supplied without making the user less interested in something which the user was attracted to while watching the program, and the user can be smoothly guided to a subsequent preset recording operation.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus,information processing method, and computer program for performingprocesses such as recording and reproduction of contents and, moreparticularly, to an information processing apparatus, informationprocessing method, and computer program for supporting contentsprocessing such as recording, preset recording, and reproduction of atelevision program.

More particularly, the invention relates to an information processingapparatus, information processing method, and computer program forsupporting operations on contents such as searching, preset recording,and reproduction of a television program, the support being provided inconsideration to the passive nature of the act of watching televisionprograms. Still more particularly, the invention relates to aninformation processing apparatus, information processing method, andcomputer program for supporting operations on contents such assearching, preset recording, and reproduction of a television program,without making a user less interested in something which the user hasbeen attracted to while watching a television program.

BACKGROUND ART

In the field of broadcasting techniques, there is a rapid trend towardthe use of digital data. This is attributable to the facts that digitaldata provide higher image quality and higher sound quality than analogdata because they allow higher utilization of a band and that digitaldata have a higher affinity to data other than video and audio data.

When broadcast contents are digital data, data of four contents can becarried over a single channel, and services of higher quality and widervariety can be provided because data for high-definition televisions canbe transmitted as they are. For example, improved services can beprovided to users (audience) by sending them various kinds of systeminformation including an EPG (Electric Program Guide) along with videoinformation and audio information (an EPG includes functions such asproviding information on a schedule and program titles of broadcastprograms and preset recording of programs in a VTR).

Further, since data in a digital form have a high affinity toinformation apparatus other than televisions such as general-purposecomputer systems, digital broadcasting is expected to unite broadcastingand communication. For example, a tuner card for digital satellite databroadcasts may be mounted in a general-purpose computer system toreceive an EPG which is then analyzed by the computer to provide awindow-display of an electronic program table on a computer display,which allows program switching and preset recording to be performedthrough operations on a mouse and cursor. Obviously, digital broadcastdata can be digital-recorded as they are in a hard disc incorporated ina computer. Upper links between receiving clients and broadcast stationsutilizing computer networks will allow bi-directional services to beprovided.

Recently, server-type broadcasting systems are spreading, in which areceiver (a television or video recorder/player) incorporating a massstorage such as a hard disc device or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)recorder is used to receive broadcast contents, temporarily store themin the receiver, and reproduce them thereafter.

A server-type broadcasting system allows not only real-time audio visualreception such as normal television reception but also allowspre-distributed pictures and sounds to be watched and listened to from aspecified time, the use of information distributed along with thepictures and sounds allowing scene search or audiovisual reception of adigest in the latter case.

In the case of a system such as an HDD recorder or DVD recorder whichcan record programs for several tens hours, it is considered importantto perform operations for preset recording efficiently in order to makethe act of watching television more useful.

For example, a user can refer to an EPG distributed along with a programto identify or presume programs that he or she wishes to watch. In thiscase, however, the user must perform a complicated operation ofactivating the EPG first and searching and selecting the programs he orshe wishes to watch on the EPG screen thereafter.

For example, let us assume that a user attempts to find and record aprogram strongly related to a recorded program (or a program that ispresently on the air) that the user is watching, e.g., the nextbroadcast of the program or another program featuring the same person(s)based on an interest aroused while watching the program. Then, the usermust activate an EPG screen to find the program from among a largenumber of programs based on the day of the week or the channel or tosearch the program using the title or cast of the program. In this case,the user must temporarily stop watching the program to perform theoperation of searching for the program to be recorded. Further,information related to a program is frequently provided on an officialweb site of the program, but it is required to perform a complicatedoperation of activating a web browser and inputting an URL in order toaccess detailed information.

Watching television is a passive way of enjoyment in its inherentnature. On the contrary, searching a program for preset recordingrequires a user to perform a positive operation, and the searchingoperation can make the user less interested in something which the userhas been attracted to while watching a program.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide an excellent informationprocessing apparatus, information processing method, and computerprogram which can provide a favorable support for contents processingsuch as recording, preset recording, and reproduction of a televisionprogram.

It is another object of the invention to provide an excellentinformation processing apparatus, information processing method, andcomputer program which can provide a favorable support for operations ofcontents such as retrival, preset recording, and reproduction of atelevision program in consideration to the passive nature of the act ofwatching a television program.

It is still another object of the invention to provide an excellentinformation processing apparatus, information processing method, andcomputer program which can provide a favorable support for operations ofcontents such as retrival, preset recording, and reproduction of atelevision program without making a user less interested in somethingwhich the user has been attracted to while watching a televisionprogram.

The invention has been made taking the above-described problems intoconsideration, and the invention provides, its first aspect, aninformation processing apparatus for supporting operations on programcontents distributed at scheduled times, characterized in that it has:

a program information managing section which manages information onprogram contents;

a starting program setting section which sets a program at which theoperations are started;

a starting-program-related information generating section whichretrieves information on programs in all program states and extractsprograms related to the starting program to generate astarting-program-related information page; and

a detailed operation screen presenting section which presents a detailedoperation screen in response to the selection of a related program onthe starting-program-related information page, the detailed operationscreen including an a method of operation applicable to the relatedprogram depending on the program state thereof.

The starting program setting section sets program contents selected fromamong program contents which are currently reproduced or watched and/orlistened to by a user or from a predetermined program table as thestarting program. The starting-program-related information generatingsection retrieves programs which are related to the starting programwith respect to each item of interest based on degrees of relationshipwith the starting program and generates the starting-program-relatedinformation page from the results of the retrieval by arranging therelated programs in the descending order of the items in terms of thedegree of relationship to the starting program. By starting up abrowser, the user can browse the starting-program-related informationpage and perform an operation to the programs related to the startingprogram such as present recording.

Therefore, according to the invention, a program which is currentlywatched or reproduced by a user is used as a starting point, and otherprograms related to the same are introduced in the descending order ofrelationship. As a result, a favorable support can be provided foroperations on contents such as, searching, preset recording, andreproduction of a television program without making a user lessinterested in something which the user has been attracted to whilewatching a television program. That is, a favorable support can beprovided for operations of contents such as searching, preset recording,and reproduction of a television program in consideration to the passivenature of the act of watching a television program.

Each of program contents has a plurality of program states. That is, theprogram content may have already been recorded, may have not beenrecorded yet, may have been preset for recording, may not have beenpreset for recording yet, or may have not been received yet. Accordingto the invention, in response to the selection of a related program onthe starting-program-related information page, a detailed operationscreen for the related program is presented. Since the detailedoperation screen provides an applicable method of operation depending ona program state, a user can smoothly perform operations such aswatching, reproduction, and preset recording of program contents.

For example, when the program state of a related program thus selectedis “already recorded”, the detailed operation screen presenting sectionmay present reproduction and/or erasure of the recording as a method ofoperation.

Alternatively, when the program state of a related program thus selectedis “preset for recording”, the detailed operation screen presentingsection may present cancellation of recording and/or confirmation ofrecording as a method of operation.

Alternatively, when the program state of a related program thus selectedis “not preset for recording”, the detailed operation screen presentingsection may present preset recording as a method of operation. Aplurality of processes for preset recording such as “recording theprogram this time only”, “recording the program every week”, and“recording the program every day” may be presented.

The invention provides, its second aspect, a computer program which isdescribed in a computer-readable form to execute a process forsupporting operations on program contents distributed at scheduled timeswhere information on each program content is managed using a database.The computer program is characterized in that it includes:

a starting program setting step for setting a program at which theoperations are started;

a starting-program-related information generating step for searching thedatabase for information on programs in all program states to extractprograms related to the starting program and generating astarting-program-related information page constituted by the extractedrelated programs; and

a detailed operation screen presenting step for presenting a detailedoperation screen in response to the selection of a related program onthe base-program-related information page, the screen including a methodof operation applicable to the related program depending on the programstate thereof.

The computer program in the second aspect of the invention is defined asa computer program which is described in a computer-readable form toachieve a predetermined process on a computer system. In other words,when the computer program in the second aspect of the invention isinstalled in a computer system, it operates on the computer system in acooperative manner, and the same effect and advantage as those of theinformation processing apparatus in the first aspect of the inventioncan therefore be achieved.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from a detailed description which will be made based onembodiments of the invention to be described later and accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a system configuration fortransmitting broadcast contents;

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a hardwareconfiguration of a receiver 10 which receives broadcast contents andperforms recording and preset recording of the same;

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a functional configuration ofa system for providing information related to a program that a user iswatching without making the user less interested in something which theuser has been attracted to while watching the program;

FIG. 4 is illustrations showing how to input a starting program and aconfiguration of a starting-program-related information page;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing steps of a process of providing astarting-program-related information page;

FIG. 6 shows an example of a configuration of a detailed reproductionscreen;

FIG. 7 shows an example of a configuration of a detailed reproductionscreen;

FIG. 8 shows an example of display of a starting-program-relatedinformation page which has been newly generated in response to theselection of a command on the detailed operation screen shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows a procedure in which a starting program is moved throughoperations on the detailed operation screen;

FIG. 10 shows an example of a procedure in which a starting program isnot moved;

FIG. 11 shows an example of a procedure in which a starting program isautomatically moved in response to an instruction for reproduction on arecommended program on the starting-program-related information page;

FIG. 12 is an illustration showing buttons for instructing reloading ofstarting-program-related information on the starting-program-relatedinformation page;

FIG. 13 shows an example of another system configuration for generatinga starting-program-related information page; and

FIG. 14 shows an example of another system configuration for generatinga starting-program-related information page.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference tothe drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a system configuration for transmittingbroadcast contents from a broadcast station. The transmission system 1comprises a production unit 100, a delivery unit 200, and a transmissionunit 300. Each of the units will be described below.

The production unit 100 corresponds to a site of production of contentsof broadcast program information to be delivered as digital broadcastcontents. That is, the production unit 100 produces individual streamssuch as video and audio streams of which a broadcast program is made up,data of subtitles and the like and, in addition, resource elements suchas an EPG.

Those broadcast contents including the body of the program made up ofindividual streams such as video and audio steams and programinformation are transferred to the delivery unit 200, for example, via aLAN (Local Area Network) constructed in the broadcast station 1.

At the delivery unit 200, data to be delivered are packeted by each of acontents transmission system 201, a baseband control system 202, an AVencoder 203, and a superimposed subtitle insertion system 204 and arethereafter passed to the transmission unit 300.

At the transmission unit 300, the program information is encoded by amulti-media encoding unit 301 and passed to a contents transmissionsystem 302. A synthesizing unit 304 synthesizes data output by each ofthe contents transmission system 302 and an AV superimposed subtitletransmission system 303. A modulation unit 305 performs RF modulation onthe synthesized signal which is then transmitted to a receiving station10 through an RF transmission path.

In the RF transmission path, the RF signal is first transmitted to abroadcast satellite 5 from a transmission antenna provided at thebroadcast station 1, and the signal is then received by a receptionantenna of the receiver 10 via a propagation path.

FIG. 2 schematically shows an example of a hardware configuration of thereceiver 10 which receives broadcast contents and performs recording andpreset recording.

In the receiver 10, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 as a maincontroller is interconnected with each hardware component through a bus50 to execute general control over each component. Each part of thereceiver will be described below.

A broadcasting wave received by the antenna (not shown) is supplied to atuner 51. The broadcast wave is in accordance with a prescribed format,but it may be a wire broadcasting wave or surface wave rather than abroadcast wave for satellite broadcast as described above, and noparticular limitation is set on the same.

The tuner 51 performs tuning to a broadcast wave from a predeterminedchannel or selects a broadcasting station according to an instructionfrom the CPU 11 and outputs received data to a demodulator 52 provideddownstream thereof. The demodulator 52 demodulates the received datawhich have been subjected to digital modulation. The configuration ofthe tuner 11 may be changed or expanded as occasions demand depending onwhich of analog and digital broadcasting waves is transmitted to thesame.

The demodulated digital data is a transport stream (TS) which is, forexample, constituted by AV data compressed according to the MPEG2 methodand program information which are multiplexed with each other. Theformer AV data are constituted by video and audio information of whichthe body of a broadcast program is made up and subtitle data. The latterprogram information is data associated with the body of the broadcastprogram and is used for an EPG or preset recording.

A TS decoder 53 interprets the transport stream and separates it intothe AV data compressed according to the MPEG2 method and the programinformation, the former being transmitted to an AV decoder 54, thelatter being transmitted to the CPU 11 via the bus 50. The TS decoder 53may include a memory 53A for saving work data as a local memory ofitself.

Upon receipt of the real-time AV data compressed according to the MPEG2method from the TS decoder 53, the AV decoder 54 separates it intocompressed video data and compressed audio data. It performs adecompression process on the video data according to the MPEG2 method toreproduce the original video signal and performs PCM (Pulse CodeModulation) on the audio data and synthesizes it with additional soundsto obtain a reproduced audio signal. The AV decoder 54 may include amemory 54A for saving work data as a local memory of itself. Thereproduced video signal is provided to a display 61 through amultiplexer 55B as a display output, and the reproduced audio signal isprovided to a speaker 62 as an audio output. Referring to the broadcastcontents of a program for which presetting for recording has been made,compressed video data and compressed audio data are transferred to ahard disc device 17 via the bus 50 and are temporarily recorded thereinwithout being decompressed. In this case, when the contents are watchedand listened to, they are subjected to a decompression process andoutput for reproduction by the AV decoder 54 after being read out fromthe hard disc device 17.

A user interface control unit 56 is a module for processing operationsinput from a user and, for example, it has operation buttons/switches(not shown) for direct manual operations of a user and a function ofaccepting remote operations from a remote controller 66 through infrared(IR) radiation. It may include a display panel and LED indicators (notshown) for displaying the contents of the current setting. A user canperform operations such as tuning to a broadcast program, recording,preset recording, reproduction, and erasure of a recorded programthrough the remote controller 66 and the user interface control unit 56.

The CPU 11 is a main controller which exerts general control overoperations of the receiver 10 as a whole. The CPU 11 can also performprocesses such as recording, preset recording, and reproduction onprogram information transferred to the same via the bus 50.

A RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 is a writable volatile memory used toload programs and codes to be executed by the CPU 11 and to write workdata for a program that is executed. A ROM (Read Only Memory) 13 is aread only memory for permanently storing a self diagnosis and/orinitialization program to be executed when the power supply of thereceiver 10 is turned on and a microcode for hardware operations.

A serial input/output (SIO) controller 14 is a peripheral controller forserial data exchange between the receiver 10 and an external apparatus.A high-speed modem 63 for modulating and demodulating data transmittedon an analog telephone line is externally connected to a serial portprovided on the SIO controller 14. The high-speed modem 63 establishesPPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) connection (or a different form ofconnection) to a predetermined access point (not shown), and thereceiver 10 can therefore be connected to an internet 7 as a wide areanetwork, and an upper link to a broadcast station can be formed.

An IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1394interface 15 is a serial high-speed interface which allows datatransmission and reception at several hundred MBps. An externalapparatus in compliance to IEEE 1934 can be daisy-chain-connected ortree-connected to an IEEE 1394 port. For example, apparatus incompliance to IEEE 1394 include a video camera 64 and a scanner (notshown).

A hard disc driver (HDD) 17 is an external storage for accumulatingprograms and data in the form of files having a predetermined format,and it has a relatively large capacity of several ten to several hundredGB. The HDD 17 is connected to the bus 50 through a hard disc interface18. In the present embodiment, the HDD 17 is used for recording, presetrecording, and reproduction of a received broadcast program andaccumulation of information related to programs.

A card interface 18 is a device for implementing a bus protocol betweena card type device 65 loaded in a card slot 19 and the bus 50. Anexample of the card-type device 65 is a PC card which is similar in sizeto a credit card and which has a cartridge-type configuration. The PCcard is in compliance to specifications referred to as “PC CardStandard” which have been jointly formulated by PCMCIA (PersonalComputer Memory Card Interface Association) and JEIDA (Japan ElectronicIndustry Development Association).

A display controller 57 is a dedicated controller for controllingdisplay outputs such as broadcast program information based on databroadcast contents.

In the receiver 10, the tuning operation of the tuner 51 is controlledaccording to a command input by a user through the user interfacecontrol unit 56, and operations such as control over display of programinformation are also performed. Specifically, the CPU 11 processesprogram information transferred from the TS decoder 53 to convert itinto data for display which are in turn supplied to the displaycontroller 57. The display controller 57 generates image signals of theprogram information based on the display data and supplies them to themultiplexer 55B.

The CPU 11 also processes audio data included on the program informationand supplies them to the multiplexer 55A via the bus 50. Themultiplexers 55A and 55B multiplex the display data and audio datasupplied from the CPU 11 with video data and audio data (along withsubtitles), respectively, as the body of the broadcast program output bythe AV decoder 54 and externally output to the display 61 and thespeaker 62, respectively.

Further, the CPU 11 performs an operation of reproducing a broadcastprogram that it has received, an operation of recording or presetrecording, and an operation of erasing a recorded program.

In the present embodiment, information related to a program that ispresently watched is supplied without making the user less interested insomething which the user has been attracted to while watching theprogram to guide the user to a subsequent operation for preset recordingsmoothly. This is achieved by a co-operation between broadcast stationsmanaging program information or a center server (hereinafter simplyreferred to as “center”) that cooperates with the broadcast stations andthe receiving terminal 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as “terminal”)at the user. FIG. 3 schematically shows a configuration of such asystem.

A center 500 comprises a program/contents meta-data database 501 forstoring the contents of the bodies of broadcast programs and contentsmeta-data such as an EPG associated with the same, a terminal statedatabase 502 for managing information on the state of a program at theterminal of each user, the state being any of “watched”, “recorded”, and“preset-recorded” states, and a page generation/display server 503 forgenerating a program-related information page based on theprogram/contents meta-data and the terminal states and providing thepage to the terminals. The program-related information page will bedetailed later.

A terminal 600 has a recording/reproduction process unit 601 forperforming processes such as recording, preset recording, andreproduction on a received broadcast program, an in apparatusprogram/contents meta-data database 602 for managing received broadcastcontents and meta-data such as an EPG distributed along with thebroadcast contents inside the apparatus, and a page display browser 603for giving access to a program-related information page provided by thecenter 500 by displaying the same. In practice, such functions andfeatures are realized by executing a predetermined application forretrieving and accessing the program-related information on the CPU 11.

When a user performs a predetermined operation such as pushing a buttonof the remote controller 66 while reproducing a recorded program orwatching a program on the air, the recording/reproduction process unit601 passes the program ID to the page display browser 603 in response.In response to the change in the program state in the terminal 600, theinternal program/contents meta-data database 602 transmits the programinformation to the center 500 any time. The starting program may beidentified by transferring the date and time of broadcast when thebutton was pushed, the name of the broadcast station and the area ofbroadcast or the broadcast station ID to the center to search theprogram in the contents/meta-data database 501.

The page display browser 603 requests the center 500 to provide aprogram-related information page. A program-related information pageincludes program IDs. The center 500 generates a program-relatedinformation page based on program/contents meta-data and the state ofthe terminal and returns it to the terminal 600. The page displaybrowser 603 displays the program-related information page for the user'saccess.

In the present embodiment, in response to a user's operation on theremote controller 66, a process of presenting program-relatedinformation is activated. At this time, a recorded program that is beingreproduced or a program on the air that is being watched is treated as astarting point, and program-related information associated with thestarting program is generated. It is hereinafter referred to as“starting-program-related information”.

The program/contents meta-data database 501 at the center 500 managesinformation on each broadcast program by categorizing it into aplurality of items using program attributes such as “schedule for thenext broadcast”, “cast”, “title”, and “genre” or other methods forassociating programs. A degree of relationship with the program isassigned to each item. For example, the schedule for the next broadcastmay be highest in the degree of relationship with the program and may befollowed by the cast, title, and genre in the descending order ofrelationship with the program. Then, programs related to the startingprogram are searched in the database with respect to each item. In thepresent embodiment, the search is aimed at all programs in the past andfuture in the database or all programs on the time base. The search fortelevision program in the past is aimed at only programs which can bewatched or programs which have already been recorded. Referring to atelevision program in the future, it is in either of two program states,i.e., it has already been preset for recording or not preset forrecording yet.

The starting-program-related information page is configured based onresults of the database search by arranging related programs which havehit in the descending order of the items in relationship with thestarting program, and the page is output to be displayed as a browserscreen.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the starting-program-related informationpage is generated by a co-operation between the center 500 and theterminal 600. On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 13, the center 500 maygenerate the starting-program-related information page alone. In thiscase, however, the terminal 600 transmits meta-data to the center 500each time the program state in the terminal 600 changes. Alternatively,the starting-program-related information page may be generated in theterminal 600 as shown in FIG. 14. In this case, however, the center 500periodically distributes program/contents meta-data that constitute rawdata of the starting-program-related information page.

On the starting-program-related information page, results of thedatabase search are arranged in the descending order of the items inrelationship with the starting program and are output for display. Onthe starting-program-related information page, display of a relatedprogram of interest is switched depending on states of the program suchas “already recorded”, “preset for recording”, and “not preset forrecording”, contents of an operation on the program vary accordingly (adescription will follow in this connection).

Table 1 shown below summarizes a method for association with thestarting program.

Table 1

An exemplary method for association with the starting program is the useof program (product) attributes or definitions by a manager.

Program (product) attributes are categorized into items such as“schedule for the next time of broadcast”, “related programs in terms ofcast”, “related programs in terms of genre”. The “next time” or theschedule for the next time of broadcast can be searched based on thedate and time (or the day of the week), the title, the broadcast stationof the program or based on time zones such as a very near time zone, thesame time zone of the next day, the same time zone in the next week.Other programs “related in terms of cast” can be searched based on thecast or names of people extracted from the contents of the program. The“related programs in terms of genre” can be searched based on genreinformation. Similar programs can be also searched based on degrees ofsimilarity between attributes of programs.

FIG. 4 shows how to input a starting program and a configuration of astarting-program-related information page. FIG. 5 shows steps of aprocess for providing a starting-program-related information page in theform of a flow chart.

First, a starting program is input (step S1). When a predeterminedbutton on the remote controller 66 is pushed during audiovisualreception of a recorded program, the program being reproduced is set asa starting program. Alternatively, the recorded program is set as astarting program when the reproduction of the program is stopped or whenthe reproduction ends.

When a predetermined button on the remote controller 66 is pushed duringaudiovisual reception of a program on the air or when the program ends,the program is set as a starting program.

When a predetermined program column is operated with the remotecontroller 66 or the like while a program table is being accessed byactivating an EPG, the relevant program is set as a starting program.

When a starting program is set, the program ID of the same istransferred from the terminal 600 to the center 500 (step S2). Insteadof the program ID, the date and time of broadcast at the time of thepush on the button, the name of the broadcast station, and the area ofthe broadcast or the broadcast station ID may be transferred to thecenter to allow a search into the contents meta-data database 501 andidentification of the starting program.

A the center 500, the program/contents meta-data database 501 issearched according to predetermined rules for searching (see Table 2),and a starting-program-related information page is generated based onresults of the search. The search is aimed at all programs in the pastand future in the database or all programs on the time base.

In the program/contents meta-data database 501, information on eachbroadcast program is managed by categorizing it into a plurality ofitems using program attributes or other methods for associatingprograms. A degree of relationship with the program is assigned to eachitem. First, programs related to the starting program with respect toeach item are searched in the database (step S3). The search is aimed atall programs in the past and future in the database.

Next, results of the search into the program/contents meta-data database501 are arranged in the descending order of the items in relationshipwith the starting program (step S4) to generate astarting-program-related information page (step S5).

The starting-program-related information page thus generated is returnedto the terminal 600. At the terminal 600, a browser is activated tooutput the starting-program-related information for display (step S6).The screen of this page shows information on programs related to thestarting program, and preset recording of the programs and other useroperations are accepted.

On the starting-program-related information page, a list of recommendedprograms are displayed based on the starting program in the descendingorder of the items in terms of the degrees of relationship set for them,the items being “schedule for the next broadcast”, “cast”, “title”, and“genre”, for example. In addition, the display of thestarting-program-related information page may include statisticalresults (such as an audience rating and vote results) associated withthe starting program, guidance on community sites or the like, links toother applications that deal with the starting program.

In the column of the schedule for the next broadcast, the schedule forthe next broadcast of the starting program is presented along with thedate and time and the program title.

Referring to columns of related program, the related program columns arearranged such that an item is ranked higher, the higher the degree ofrelationship of the same to the program, the cast coming first and beingfollowed by the title, and the genre, for example. The screen may bescrolled to move to related program columns associated with items forwhich lower degrees of relationship are set (not shown) The user isallowed to access and select a program with improved convenience bydisplaying programs in the descending order of degrees of relationshipwith the starting program.

In cast-related program columns, other programs featuring (major) castof the starting program are presented along with the dates and times ofbroadcast and the program titles. In title-related program columns,other programs related to the title of the starting program arepresented along with the dates and times of broadcast and the programtitles. In the program list showing such related program columns, a“preset for recording” icon may be displayed for a program which hasalready been preset for recording such that the preset recordingoperation will not be duplicated. When the same program is among entriesof the cast column and the column of another item at the same time, theinformation on the program in either of the columns may be deleted todisplay information of more programs.

When there are too may programs/contents in related program columns,they may be reduced by screening them in the descending order of degreesof their conformity to preference of the user, in the ascending ordescending order of their closeness to the starting program in terms ofbroadcasting date and time, in the ascending or descending order oftheir closeness to the date and time of display of thestarting-program-related information page, or in the descending order ofevaluation of them based on audience rating information or voting by aplurality of users.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the starting-program-related informationpage shows the schedule for the next broadcast and programs related toeach of performers who appeared in the program. For example, a performeris put in order based on the importance of the role of the performer inthe starting program (e.g., whether the performer played the leadingrole or not) or the degree of the user's interest in the performer(whether the user is a fan of the performer or not).

In the present embodiment, the search is aimed at all programs in thepast and future in the database. Referring to television programs in thepast, only programs which can be watched or which have been recorded aresearched and displayed on the page. Television programs in the futuremaybe in two program states, i.e., they may have been preset forrecording or not preset for recording. When a related program on thestarting-program-related information page has already been recorded orpreset for recording, the display of the program is accompanied by anicon indicating such a program state.

When the same program is displayed a plurality of times as a result of asearch for a plurality of performers on a television serial, the programmay be displayed only at the top of the page to display as many relatedprograms as possible in the screen of a limited size. When only a smallnumber of programs are retrieved in relation to a performer at a lowrank in the page or in any other relation, the programs may be displayedin duplicate for the performer, so that a constant number of programsare displayed in each relation.

When only a small number of programs are related to a program which hasbeen set as a starting program, the number of related contents set bythe manager may be increased, and the number may be decreased in thereverse case to generate a page that always displays a constant amountof information.

The types and order of relationships in a starting-program-relatedinformation page may be changed depending on the attributes of thestarting program such as the genre of the same. The types and order ofrelationships in a starting-program-related information page may becustomized based on information on preference of a user who hasrequested the same.

In a related program displayed on a starting-program-related informationpage, methods of operation applicable to the program are embedded. Forexample, when an entry such as “schedule for the next broadcast” isselected from a list of recommended program, dialogues or a detailedpresetting screen appears, the screen including a summary of therelevant program and methods of operation for the program such as“recording the program this time only”, “recording the program everytime”, and “recording the program every day”. An operation of presettingrecording can be directly performed through the dialogues or detailedpresetting screen.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a configuration of a detailed presettingscreen that appears when “schedule for the next broadcast” (or a relatedprogram which has not been preset for recording) is selected on thestarting-program-related information page shown in FIG. 4. In theexample shown in FIG. 4, since the program scheduled to be broadcastnext time has not been preset for recording, preset recording isincluded in the methods of operation.

In the detailed presetting screen shown in FIG. 6, detailed informationon a related program is displayed including display of the programtitle, display of the broadcast station and the date and time ofbroadcast, display of the contents of the program such as cast, anddisplay of statistical data such as an audience rating.

After the display of the detailed information on the program, operationcommands for the related program are provided. In the illustratedexample, recording commands “record this time only”, “record everyweek”, and “record every day” are prepared.

A “vote for this program” command is a command prepared to gatherstatistical data from audience. When the command is selected, connectionis established by a predetermined URL to a site for which a link is set,and a counting process is performed.

A “display recommendations associated with this program” command causesa process of acquiring information on further related programs for whichthe related program serves as a starting point, and results of theprocess are output in the form of a starting-program-related informationpage. In this case, the starting program moves from that at the time ofthe operation on the remote controller (see FIG. 4) to that scheduled tobe broadcasted next. The movement of a starting program will bedescribed later.

FIG. 7 shows a detailed operation screen (a detailed reproductionscreen) appearing when a related program which has already been recordedis selected on the starting-program-related information page shown inFIG. 4. Since the related program has already been recorded in thiscase, methods of operation include reproduction of the related program.

The detailed reproduction screen shown in FIG. 7 displays detailedinformation on the related program including display of the programtitle, display of the broadcast station and the date and time ofbroadcast, display of the contents of the program such as cast, anddisplay of statistical data such as an audience rating.

After the display of the detailed information on the program, operationcommands for the related program are provided. In the illustratedexample, a “reproduce this program” command is prepared as an operationcommand for a recorded program. A command for erasing a recording may befurther prepared.

A “vote for this program” command is a command prepared to gatherstatistical data from audience. When the command is selected, connectionis established by a predetermined URL to a site for which a link is set,and a counting process is performed.

A “display recommendations associated with this program” command causesa process of acquiring information on further related programs for whichthe related program serves as a starting point, and results of theprocess are output in the form of a starting-program-related informationpage. In this case, the starting program moves from that at the time ofthe operation on the remote controller (see FIG. 4) to that scheduled tobe broadcasted next.

FIG. 8 shows an example of display of a starting-program-relatedinformation page newly generated in response to the selection of the“display recommendations associated with this program” command on thedetailed operation screen shown in FIG. 7. The starting-program-relatedinformation page displays the schedule for the next broadcast, andprograms related to each of the cast of the program. All programs in thepast and future in the database are searched. Referring to televisionprograms in the past, only programs which can be watched or which havealready been recorded are retrieved and displayed on the page. Referringto a television program in the future, it may be in two states, i.e., ithas been already preset for recording or has not been preset forrecording yet. On the starting-program-related information page, when arelated program has been recorded or preset for recording, the programis accompanied by an icon indicating such a state.

Next, the movement of a starting program will be described. In theexample shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a recorded program in reproduction or aprogram on the air that is being watched is set as a starting programwhich is the object of the user's highest interest, and astarting-program-related information page is generated based on degreesof relationship with the starting program. Therefore, thestarting-program-related information page presented to the user variesdepending on which program is set as the starting point.

As described above, the user can apply processes such as presetrecording and reproduction (in the case of programs for which presettingfor recording has been made) to related programs presented on thestarting-program-related information page. Although the stating programis defined as the program in which the user is most interested, it isassumed that the object of the user s interest has changed when the userinstructs presetting for recording or reproduction of another program onthe starting-program-related information page. It is thereforeconsidered appropriate to switch the starting program. Further, the usermay sometimes wish to switch the starting program intentionally. Stepsfor switching the starting program will now be described.

A starting-program-related information page is displayed in response toan operation on a predetermined button on the remote controller 66 whilea recorded program is reproduced or while a program on the air iswatched. The starting-program-related information page lists informationon programs related to the starting program and, when any of the relatedprograms is selected, a detailed operation screen appears to instructapplication of processes such as presetting for recording orreproduction to the related program (see FIG. 6). FIG. 9 shows anexample of steps for moving the starting program through operations onthe detailed operation screen.

For example, when the program scheduled to be broadcasted next isselected on the starting-program-related information page, a detailedpresetting screen for the program is pop up-displayed (see FIG. 6).Although no movement of the starting program occurs when thecontinuation of the presetting operation is cancelled, when presettingfor recording is performed for the program scheduled to be broadcastednext, the starting program moves to the preset program. In this case,the program scheduled to be broadcasted next is set as the startingpoint, and the database is searched again for programs related to thestarting program with respect to each item. Results of the search intothe database are arranged in the descending order of the items in thedegree of relationship with the starting program and are output fordisplay.

For example, when a program other than the program scheduled to bebroadcasted next (e.g., a drama/domestic drama-related program) isselected on the starting-program-related information page, a detailedpresetting screen for the program is pop up-displayed. Although nomovement of the starting program occurs when the continuation of thepresetting operation is cancelled, when presetting for recording isperformed for the program scheduled to be broadcasted next, the startingprogram moves to the preset program. In this case, the program scheduledto be broadcasted next is set as the starting point, and the database issearched again for programs related to the starting program with respectto each item. Results of the search into the database are arranged inthe descending order of the items in the degree of relationship with thestarting program and are output for display.

According to the starting point moving method shown in FIG. 9, a programwhich has been preset for recording becomes a new starting program, anda starting-program-related information page is displayed one afteranother. Since programs are preset for recording one after another inthe form of rambling-search, the preset recording can be performed for awider range of programs.

A starting-program-related information page can be controlled accordingto a fixed starting point method in which the starting point is notmoved conversely to the rambling-search type shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10shows steps of an operation of controlling a starting program accordingto the fixed starting point method. In this case, the starting pointalways returns to the same program even when a presetting operation isperformed on a detailed presetting screen. According to the fixedstarting point method, since a presetting operation will not cause anychange in recommended programs, it is easy to handle a plurality ofprograms to be preset for recording in a list of recommended programs.

FIG. 11 shows an example of steps for automatically moving the startingprogram in response to an instruction for reproduction of a recommendedprogram on a starting-program-related information page (where theprogram has already been recorded). When a related program which hasalready been recorded (e.g., the next program) is selected on thestarting-program-related information page, a detailed reproductionscreen for the program is pop up-displayed. Although no movement of thestarting program occurs when the reproducing operation is cancelled, ifthe reproduction operation is started, the starting program moves to theprogram which has already been recorded. In this case, the reproducedprogram is set as the starting point, and the database is searched againfor programs related to the starting program with respect to each item.Results of the search into the database are arranged in the descendingorder of the items in the degree of relationship with the startingprogram and are output for display.

Each time a movement of the starting program is allowed as shown inFIGS. 9 and 11, the contents of the old starting-program-relatedinformation page are lost. However, some users may wish to access theprevious starting-program-related information page again or may wish tohave detailed display of some of related programs in the previousstarting-program-related information page.

For this reason, a history of display of starting-program-relatedinformation pages is maintained as shown in FIG. 12. Further, astarting-program-related information page may be provided with historybuttons for instructing reloading of respective pieces oforiginal-program-related information, i.e., the currently displayedinformation, the last information displayed, and the informationdisplayed the time before last. Instead of the history buttons, tagsshowing a part of program titles may be prepared (on a task bar, forexample) side by side in the order of the history of display.

The invention has been described above with reference to specificembodiments thereof. However, it is obvious that modifications andsubstitutions may be made in the embodiments by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the gist of the invention. That is, thedisclosure of the invention has been made by way of example, and itshould not be taken in a limiting sense. Reference should be made to theappended claims to construe the gist of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The invention makes it possible to provide an excellent informationprocessing apparatus, information processing method, and computerprogram which can provide a favorable support for contents processingsuch as recording, preset recording, and reproduction of a televisionprogram.

The invention also makes it possible to provide an excellent informationprocessing apparatus, information processing method, and computerprogram which can provide a favorable support for operations of contentssuch as retrieval, preset recording, and reproduction of a televisionprogram in consideration to the passive nature of the act of watching atelevision program.

The invention also makes it possible to provide an excellent informationprocessing apparatus, information processing method, and computerprogram which can provide a favorable support for operations of contentssuch as retrieval, preset recording, and reproduction of a televisionprogram without making a user less interested in something which theuser has been attracted to while watching a television program.

Each of program contents has a plurality of program states. That is, theprogram content may have already been recorded, may have not beenrecorded yet, may have been preset for recording, may not have beenpreset for recording yet, or may have not been received yet. Accordingto the invention, in response to the selection of a related program onthe starting-program-related information page, a detailed operationscreen for the related program is presented. Since the detailedoperation screen provides an applicable method of operation depending ona program state, a user can smoothly perform operations such aswatching, reproduction, and preset recording of program contents.

1. An information processing apparatus for supporting operations onprogram contents distributed at scheduled times, characterized in thatit has: a program information managing section which manages informationon program contents; a starting program setting section which sets aprogram at which the operations are started; a starting-program-relatedinformation generating section which retrieves information on programsin all program states and extracts programs related to the startingprogram to generate a starting-program-related information page; and adetailed operation screen presenting section which presents a detailedoperation screen in response to the selection of a related program onsaid base-program-related information page, the detailed operationscreen including a method of operation that can be used for said relatedprogram depending on the program state thereof.
 2. An informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that saidstarting program setting section sets program contents which is beingreproduced or watched and listened to by a user or program contentsselected from a predetermined program table as the starting program. 3.An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterizedin that said starting-program-related information generating sectiongenerates a starting-program-related information page by extractingrelated programs from the ID of said set starting program.
 4. Aninformation processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized inthat said starting-program-related information generating sectiongenerates a starting-program-related information page by extractingrelated programs from at least the date of broadcast, the time ofbroadcast, the name of the broadcast station, and the like at the timewhen said starting program is set.
 5. An information processingapparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: said programinformation managing section manages program information including aplurality of items to which degrees of relationship to programs areassigned; and said starting-program-related information generatingsection retrieves programs related to the starting program with respectto each item based on the degrees of relationship with the startingprogram and generates a starting-program-related information page byarranging results of the retrieval.
 6. An information processingapparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that saidstarting-program-related information generating section generates astarting-program-related information page from results of retrieval byarranging the related programs in the descending order of the items inthe degree of relationship with the starting program.
 7. An informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: itfurther has a reception section which receives program contents and arecording section which performs recording and preset recording of thereceived program contents; and said program states include at least oneof states of program contents, i.e., “already recorded”, “not recorded”,“preset for recording”, “not preset for recording”, and “not received”states.
 8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7,characterized in that said starting-program-related informationgenerating section displays the program state associated with each pieceof related information on the starting-program-related information page.9. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7,characterized in that said starting-program-related informationgenerating section displays an icon indicating the program stateassociated with each piece of related information on thestarting-program-related information page.
 10. An information processingapparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it further has asection which maintains a display history of saidstarting-program-related page.
 11. An information processing apparatusaccording to claim 7, characterized in that said detailed operationscreen presenting section presents reproduction and/or erasure of recordas a method of operation when the program state of a selected relatedprogram is “already recorded”.
 12. An information processing apparatusaccording to claim 7, characterized in that said detailed operationscreen presenting section presents cancellation of recording and/orconfirmation of presetting as a method of operation when the programstate of a selected related program is “preset for recording”.
 13. Aninformation processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized inthat said detailed operation screen presenting section presentspresetting for recording as a method of operation when the program stateof a selected related program is “not preset for recording”.
 14. Aninformation processing apparatus according to claim 13, characterized inthat said detailed operation screen presenting section presents aplurality of methods for presetting for recording.
 15. An informationprocessing method for supporting operations on program contentsdistributed at scheduled times where information on each program contentis managed using a database, characterized in that it includes: astarting program setting step for setting a program at which theoperations are started; a starting-program-related informationgenerating step for searching the database for information on programsin all program states to extract programs related to the startingprogram and generates a starting-program-related information pageconstituted by said extracted related programs; and a detailed operationscreen presenting step for presenting a detailed operation screen inresponse to the selection of a related program on saidstarting-program-related information page, the screen including a methodof operation that can be used for said related program depending on theprogram state thereof.
 16. An information processing method according toclaim 15, characterized in that said starting program setting step setsprogram contents which is being reproduced or watched and listened to bya user or program contents selected from a predetermined program tableas the starting program.
 17. An information processing method accordingto claim 15, characterized in that said starting-program-relatedinformation generating step generates a starting-program-relatedinformation page by extracting related programs from the ID of said setstarting program.
 18. An information processing method according toclaim 15, characterized in that said starting-program-relatedinformation generating step generates a starting-program-relatedinformation page by extracting related programs from at least the dateof broadcast, the time of broadcast, the name of the broadcast station,and the like at the time when said starting program is set.
 19. Aninformation processing method according to claim 15, characterized inthat: said program information management database manages programinformation including a plurality of items to which degrees ofrelationship with programs are assigned; and saidstarting-program-related information generating step retrieves programsrelated to the starting program with respect to each item based on thedegrees of relationship with the starting program and generates astarting-program-related information page by arranging results of theretrieval.
 20. An information processing method according to claim 19,characterized in that said starting-program-related informationgenerating step generates a starting-program-related information pagefrom results of retrieval by arranging the related programs in thedescending order of the items in the degree of relationship with thestarting program.
 21. An information processing method according toclaim 15, characterized in that said program state includes at least oneof a state in which program contents have already been recorded, a statein which the recording has not been made yet, a state in whichpresetting for recording has already been made, a state in whichpresetting for recording has not been made yet, and a state in whichprogram contents have not been received yet.
 22. An informationprocessing method according to claim 21, characterized in that saidstarting-program-related information generating step displays theprogram state associated with each piece of related information on thestarting-program-related information page.
 23. An information processingmethod according to claim 21, characterized in that saidstarting-program-related information generating step displays an iconindicating the program state associated with each piece of relatedinformation on the starting-program-related information page.
 24. Aninformation processing method according to claim 15, characterized inthat it further has the step of maintaining a display history of saidstarting-program-related page.
 25. An information processing methodaccording to claim 21, characterized in that said detailed operationscreen presenting step presents reproduction and/or erasure of record asa method of operation when the program state of a selected relatedprogram is “already recorded”.
 26. An information processing methodaccording to claim 21, characterized in that said detailed operationscreen presenting step presents cancellation of recording and/orconfirmation of presetting as a method of operation when the programstate of a selected related program is “presetting for recording hasalready been made”.
 27. An information processing method according toclaim 21, characterized in that said detailed operation screenpresenting step presents presetting for recording as a method ofoperation when the program state of a selected related program is“presetting for recording has not been made yet”.
 28. An informationprocessing method according to claim 27, characterized in that saiddetailed operation screen presenting step presents a plurality ofmethods for presetting for recording.
 29. A computer program describedin a computer-readable form to execute a process for supportingoperations on program contents distributed at scheduled times whereinformation on each program content is managed using a database,characterized in that it includes: a starting program setting step forsetting a program at which the operations are started; astarting-program-related information generating step for searching thedatabase for information on programs in all program states to extractprograms related to the starting program and generating astarting-program-related information page constituted by said extractedrelated programs; and a detailed operation screen presenting step forpresenting a detailed operation screen in response to the selection of arelated program on said starting-program-related information page, thescreen including a method of operation that can be used for said relatedprogram depending on the program state thereof.